19. The Progressive Era

I. Definition – the middle class feels those above are abusing the system and those below are becoming a Socialist threat – must have government become an “agency of human welfare”
    
II. Progressive Roots
    A. Jane Addams – Hull House – starts Settlement House movement
        1. Neighborhood activities, counseling, childcare, education for the poor
    B. Protestant Clergymen – “Social Gospel” – “Christian Socialists” – God says must help society
    C. Greenback Labor Party 1870s and Populists 1890s – demanded social help
    D. Nation becoming frustrated with monopolies
    E. Prided individualism to justify inaction no longer makes sense in machine age
    F. How the Other Half Lives – Jacob Riis – shows life of poor

III. Muckrakers – publishers make money off exposing ills of society – term given by Teddy Roosevelt
    A. Magazines – McClures, Cosmopolitan, Colliers
        1. Lincoln Steffens – Shame of the Cities – business and cities have corrupt alliance
        2. Ida Tarbell – Standard Oil Company – how monopolistic practices destroy small companies

IV. Municipal, State, National Reform – how to solve problem that elected officials who make laws are corrupt
    A. Initiative – propose laws, Referendum – people vote on laws, Recall – chance to remove bad officials
    B. Laws to limit election, political gifts
    C. Direct election of Senators to avoid “Millionaire’s Club”
    D. Public commissioner and city manager – outside position to regulate how city is being run
    E. Stop monopolies at city level – stop selling of streetcars and utilities to private companies

V. Social Problems
    A. Try to stop prostitution – force police to enforce laws
    B. Safety, sanitation and child labor laws
        1. Prompted by Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 – women trapped in factory and die
    C. Temperance/Prohibition of Alcohol – some states and counties passing “dry laws”
        1. Alcohol blamed for crime, unemployment, prostitution, wasting of wages, hurts family
    D. Women’s Suffrage – western states pass first – Suffragettes still seen as women who want to be men
    E. Blacks – WEB Dubois demands immediate equality – NAACP pushes for laws
1. Booker T. Washington work with system – get educated in manual labor
2. Marcus Garvey – preaches black solidarity – “back to Africa” movement – black pride

VI. Progressive Presidents
    A. Theodore Roosevelt – a “Square Deal” for all Americans – 3 C’s
        1. Control of Corporations – sides with strikers in 1902 coal strike – a first
            a. Trustbuster – 1st railroad then others – brings 44 indictments – goes to Supreme Court
        2. Consumer Protection – after Upton Sinclair’s – The Jungle - Meat Inspection Act
            a. Pure, Food and Drug Act – can’t change or alter goods or labels on goods
        3. Conservation of Natural Resources – saves America’s forests
            a. Newlands Act – sell land and with money pay for irrigation
            b. Saved 125 million acres of forest – actually implemented National Parks law
            c. More efficiently balanced corporate interests with those of nature – Sierra Club
        4. Set precedents – social reform, used publicity to increase presidential power
    B. Taft – bigger trustbuster than Roosevelt – 90 indictments vs. 44
        1. Ballinger-Pinchot controversy – Ballinger selling public land, Pinchot complains then fired
        2. Payne-Aldrich Tariff – actually signs bill that increases tariffs on most items – angers support
    C. Wilson’s New Freedom – assault on “the triple wall of privilege” – tariff, banks, trust
        1. Tariffs – Underwood Tariff Bill – pressured reps. to pass, graduated income tax revenue
        2. Banking – Federal Reserve Act 1913 – 12 regional banks run by gov’t - $ now easily increased
        3. Anti-Trust Act of 1914 – Clayton Anti-Trust Act – allows for labor protests – tries to control sneaky tricks of trusts – one man runs 4-5 different                 companies – controls costs